The bush and its inhabitants deserve our concern and protection, but at the end of the day people in NZ should be able to work, eat and live in the country, even if according to Gaia we humans are a destructive species that should die out.

Environmental lobby Forest & Bird says a new species of cave weta found on the West Coast’s Denniston Plateau is another piece of unique ecology which could be lost if an open-cast coal mine is built there.

Forest & Bird spokesperson Debs Martin said the new species of weta shows there is still more to learn about the ecological system on the plateau, and it’s not yet known what would happen to it if an open-cast mine is built.

Maybe it’s not yet known what will happen to the weta, but it is easy to say what will happen if this and other activity is banned just in case the weta doesn’t like it – the people of the West Coast will be on the bones of their backsides &/or the dole because there are no jobs.